Back To School Coping Strategies

Back to School Coping Strategies

         Going back to school is filled with normal anxieties for kids and young adults ready to start a new chapter in their lives at a four-year university.  These concerns double for people with eating disorders because now they are faced with changes in either their mealtime routines, or times that they would go see their treatment team. Students with eating disorders may try hard to get the perfect grades and put extra pressures on themselves to bring on some unwanted eating disordered behaviors.

         Here are some coping strategies before you head back to school.

Ø Check with your treatment team to see you are indeed ready for either college life and what classes would be good or dangerous for you to take.   Obviously a class in either nutrition where they do calorie counts or weight management would not be good for anorexics.   If you are heading back to high school, let your treatment team see your schedule and advise of any potential trigger or high stress class schedules that could interfere with your treatment schedule and mealtime.

Ø Have a plan in place with your treatment team an who to call or text when it gets stressful like exams and more homework than usual.

Ø Try and keep a routine with your meal times and bring snacks if need be to your classes. (Talk to guidance counselor at high school or a social worker to be advocate for you with your teachers in the incoming school year to allow you break time to eat your snacks.

Ø Have a hobby that you like to do as an outlet so you don’t resort to ED behaviors.

Ø Exercise-only if your treatment team allows it. It is a good stress reliever.

Ø Hang out with friends and body-positive people that embrace you and your recovery.

Ø Pets are good companions to have, however may not be allowed on college campuses. Check with the housing authority before adopting a pet.  

Ø Make sure your college has a counseling or mental health center that you can go to when things get too stressful. If you are in high school, talk to a social worker there or a trusted counselor.

Ø Have your therapist’s number on your phone to call or text during the real stressful times like exams, that is when it is tempting to fall back into behaviors.

I know for me, when I have college classes, I tend to try to have perfect grades and when I don’t I take it out on myself.  I am now trying to enjoy the class and learn what I am supposed to learn. If I did select something that my therapist didn’t think was a good idea, she would tell me to drop it only because she thought it could be a temptation for me to engage in behaviors. 

         Make this school year learning and enjoyable one and don’t be afraid to reach out to your treatment team when you feel yourself wanting to slip into behaviors, they are there to help you not judge you!